by Chloe Mortimer, on 27/06/18 3:28 PM
We speak to exhibitors from all backgrounds. Our aim is to help make exhibiting as easy as possible for our clients. We achieve this by taking on most of the organising and the designing on an exhibition stand. We occasionally encounter exhibitors who are shocked at the cost of exhibiting, and the cost of organising exhibition stands. We’ve tried to provide some education about the extensive nature of organising an exhibition stand. Below are some of the top things that need to be organised when you choose to exhibit.
Select the right show to attend
This seems fairly simple, but we know exhibitors who have got this part wrong in the past. Will your target audience be at the show? If not, then why are you attending? Blind hope that people might buy from you will not bring you leads at the show and can put you off exhibiting in the future. If you know your target audience will be attending the show, then you are on the right track.
Select the floor space to suit your needs
Want to display lots of products and really show off your stock? You need a big space to do this. We have a client who displays over 4000 SKU items! To facilitate this they need adequate floor space and a stand that allows this. The organiser will detail the different floor sizes and the costs associated with the floor options. Choose a floor space that you think will support your stand needs.
Read the exhibitor manual – explains what is expected from you and what services are available
Once you have purchased your floor space the exhibition organiser will send you an exhibitor manual which will document all the necessary information related to your attendance. This manual will outline the who the main exhibition supplier is, the exhibition floor plan and any marketing efforts that the organiser will be engaging in. It will highlight any services that are available and the timeline for when you must take action.
Decide on whether you want to buy an exhibition stand you can customise and reuse or you only want to hire an exhibition stand.
This is an important decision that will affect your budget. There are many different options when it comes to preparing an exhibition stand. If you want a customised option, which would highlight your brand and help you stand out, you could hire or buy a stand. There are benefits to both, but if you are planning on exhibiting again and want to use the stand you want to customise then you are better off buying the stand. Things like storage and logistics can be maintained by a reputable stand builder. This saves you money the next time you use that stand. If you hire the stand, then you need to be prepared to pay the cost of having the stand prepared again for you.
Organise Power to the stand
Power is an important requirement in exhibition stands. Think about how often you use items that require power in your day-to-day job, this will be amplified on the exhibition stand. From the supply list you’ve just written, how many of those items will require power, and what volume of power will they need? Once you have established how much power you will need you will need to contact the exhibition supplier and organise for power to be supplied to your stand. Power is not automatically provided on the stand and needs to be organised and paid for in advance.
Design your exhibition stand
At this stage you are ready to think about the design of your exhibition stand. If you were only going to exhibit using a shell-scheme stand that the exhibition supplier is selling, then you don’t have the option to create an exhibition stand. If you, like most exhibitors have not completed an Industrial Design degree, you should organise for an exhibition stand designer to help you complete the stand design. If you want to try it yourself, here we’ve detailed all the factors you need to consider.
Once you have your design, you’ll need to find a stand builder to build your design
Now that you have a stand design you will need to find a reputable stand builder to build your stand. Like most things, you can of course attempt to build a stand yourself. That is not advisable. Manufacturing an exhibition stand is a process that involves a lot of consideration. Designing a stand from an aesthetic perspective is one thing, but choosing appropriate materials, identifying structural integrity and correct building processes is another.
Transportation, logistics and installation
At this stage you should have an exhibition stand designed and built! Now you need to decide on the most appropriate and cost-effective way of transporting your exhibition stand. There are often really long lines at the loading dock before an exhibition. Most transport companies can charge $120 an hour to transport your stand to the venue. This charge really adds up if they have to wait in line for 4 hours because you didn’t calculate the timing of delivery right! You also need to ensure that you have access to the forklift at the venue at the right time to move your stand to your space. Through into this that you also need labour hire to help you install the stand, there is a lot of juggling going on here! If there are any delays in transportation and logistics your stand may not be built in time.
Pack down and storage
If you are organising the stand yourself, you will also need to organise how the stand will be packed down. This is organising all the same things that you needed to organise for the stand to be installed. You will need a good understanding of what needs to be packed down in what order and you will need to organise transport and logistics to get the stand out of the exhibition venue and sent back to wherever you are going to store the stand. If you purchase a stand from Events 720, we offer storage solutions, so you don’t have to worry about the transportation, logistics or storage of the stand.
Organising an exhibition stand is a detailed task that demands a lot of attention to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that the final product is amazing. This is a task that demands a lot of your time, and you are already really busy! We have an extended version of this list here, where you can find some other important tasks that need to be completed when organising an exhibition stand. There are 3 pages, each focusing on organising, designing and the cost of an exhibition stand. If you click on the buttons on the bottom of the page you can navigate your way through the 3 pages.
Need further information on what you need to organise for an exhibition stand? Click below and get in touch. We'll put you on the right path.
